MLB: The Top Pitchers Under 25 Years of Age
Who are the best young pitchers under age 25 in the MLB? Let’s take a look around the league at a few excellent young arms.
The MLB is spoiled with some of the youngest talented position players that it has seen in a long while. Young pitchers however are hard to come by. Not when it comes to prospects there are plenty of young pitching prospects but very few that prove themselves and earn a role in the starting rotation.
The difference between being a pitcher and a hitter while obvious is often overlooked in its significance. Young hitters are often placed lower in a lineup to avoid to much pressure and usually have established major league hitters around them to help make up for their shortcomings.
They have time and other players to lean on to help them become comfortable and find a groove. For pitchers it is the complete opposite. While they may lean on their offense to pick them up or receive advice from other veteran pitchers they have no help on the field.
Once on the field it is the pitchers job to keep his team in the game he does not have the luxury of having an off-night. He has to keep his composure and keep his team in the game whether or not he has his best stuff that given night. Bottom line successful young pitchers are hard to come by and the few that do make it at an early age often turn out to be special. Here are the top young pitchers in Major League Baseball right now.
Next: Starting north of the border
6. Aaron Sanchez-24
Aaron Sanchez has given the Blue Jays pitching staff a big boost this season after the departure of David Price. He has already pitched well above 100 innings this season for the first time in his career. The Blue Jays are now considering Sanchez not only part of their pitching staff this year, but for a while into the future.
Sanchez has gone 11-1 with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.134 WHiP, striking out 118 batters so far. That is solid for any pitcher, much less a young pitcher who has often been matched up against the best offenses in baseball this past season. He has the ability to get a lot of outs through getting the ball put in play, his ability to rack up strikeouts helps get him out of potential trouble.
Sanchez forced the Blue Jays hand recently when they acquired Francisco Liriano and opted for a six man rotation as opposed to moving Sanchez to the bullpen or the minor leagues. He has been much better than expected so far, and if he can sustain anything close to the numbers he has been putting up, will soon be considered one of the best young pitchers in the game.
Having a controllable young arm like Sanchez to front the rotation will be a help for the Blue Jays for years to come.
Next: He could be an ace almost anywhere else
5. Joe Ross-23
The Washington Nationals came into this season having lost out on more key free agents than any team in baseball. They were counting on Ross to be able to fill the hole that long time Nationals ace Jordan Zimmermann had left behind.
Joe Ross, when healthy this season, has had no problem doing just that. He was putting up numbers that would have matched any Zimmermann put up in a Nationals uniform for the most part. How well he is doing is often dwarfed by the amazing seasons that the Washington Nationals aces are having.
Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg are both putting together seasons worthy of CY Young consideration. They have been unhittable this season and helped carry an overachieving Nationals team to a sizeable division lead.
Joe Ross has followed suit, not by putting up numbers quite as amazing as Scherzer or Strasburg, but keeping his team in games and not being afraid to go after hitters. That is one of the best things about Ross is his confidence for such a young age. He has the ability to have lower expectations than most pitchers of his talent and age would have based on who he has ahead of him in the rotation.
Washington Nationals fans should enjoy watching him grow into a good starting pitcher and maybe their ace of the future.
Next: Mile High expectations
4. Jon Gray-24
A pitcher whose home ballpark is Coors field has to work extra hard to be thought of as a top young pitcher in the game. Gray has done just that.
Jon Gray’s best attribute is his ability to get the strikeout. He has a nice array of pitches that center on a high velocity fastball to help generate those swings and misses. While strikeouts or great it’s not only his high strikeout rate that has shown Gray has taken the next step as a pitcher. It has been the opposite. He has begun to understand and go after hitters not always for the strikeout but for what the situation calls for.
Along with breakout rookie shortstop Trevor Story, Jon Gray has helped the Rockies climb back to .500 and began to look like a team that will contend not too far into the future. The stat I find most impressive about Gray is his home record: 5-0 with a 3.83 ERA, especially considering that Coors field is not a pitcher friendly park. While those numbers may not seem all that impressive for a young pitcher at Coors field those numbers are well above average.
Jon Gray seems to be getting better every week, and by next season, the Colorado Rockies may have the ace they have been lacking for so long.
Next: Another find in St. Louis
3. Carlos Martinez-23
It surprises most people that Carlos is still only twenty-three years old. Carlos Martinez is one of those names, much like Bryce Harpe,r that has been around long enough to make you think he is a much older player than he is. Martinez is still a young and maturing pitcher that already has proven himself on a good Cardinals team.
While his strikeout rate is down a bit this season, he has lowered his ERA thus far and keeps his team in the game. Martinez is a pitcher who can be a strikeout guy, but much like Gray, is learning that you do not always need to go for the strikeouts to get the result that you need.
With Adam Wainwright’s career winding down, he will soon take over as the Cardinals resident ace and could soon become one of the more recognizable faces of the franchise. He has had the ability to learn from one of the best aces in the game while becoming one in his own right.
Carlos Martinez should continue to help take the load off of the less than impressive Cardinals offense. While helping continue the Cardinals tradition of building around talented young pitchers.
Next: The mane event
2. Noah Syndgaard-23
Few players rise to recognition in the baseball world as quickly as Noah Syndgaard has. He can strike hitters out at a rate to rival the best pitchers in the game. He has grown up quickly and is considered the Mets ace this season. He is the player that their docile offense leans on when he is on the mound.
The Mets young pitching core has taken a hit this season. Zach Wheeler and Matt Harvey have both been taken out of the Mets rotation due to injuries. Harvey was once considered the resident ace and leader of the New York Mets pitching staff. Throughout his struggles this season, he fought injuries and did not look like the same player. Noah Syndgaard, meanwhile, more than picked up the slack taking over the role of ace and is now talked about as one of the top pitchers in the game.
With the addition of Jay Bruce, the Mets offense is hoping to now pick up the slack and work toward another postseason berth. If they can do so, Noah Syndgaard will have a chance to go into the postseason as the Mets ace and show why he is now considered one of the top pitchers in the league.
Next: Already a long time ace
Jose Fernandez – 24
I think it is safe to assume that Jose Fernandez bounce back from Tommy John surgery just fine. Many Marlins fans were doubtful that they were going to get back the same pitcher that they saw in Fernandez’s first few appearances in a Marlin’s uniform.
They didn’t get back the same player. Jose Fernandez has come back as a much better player after taking almost a year to rehab from his surgery.
He is striking out hitters at an elite rate and pitching deep into games. Jose Fernandez is no longer just one of the best young pitchers in baseball. He has become one of the best pitchers in baseball period. Jose is putting together a season that is worthy of Cy Young consideration.
Next: Is Zach Britton the best closer in baseball?
The Marlins have a lot of young stars on their hands with Ozuna, Yelich and Fernandez all enjoying break out seasons. Though he appears in less games than the other franchise faces Jose Fernandez is the most talented player on the Marlins roster right now and is easily the best young pitcher in the league. Fernandez is a big part of the reason the Marlins are in contention and will have a chance to have their first postseason berth in a very long time.